ID :
78194
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 14:32
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/78194
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Special meeting to discuss fate of Russians, S Ossetians in Georgia.
TSKHINVAL, September 3 (Itar-Tass) - The fate of South Ossetian and Russian citizens detained in Georgia is due to take the central place at a meeting on the prention of incidents, Merab Chigoyev, a deputy plenipotentiary representative of the South Ossetian President for the issues of post-conflict settlement told Itar-Tass.
"At this moment, twenty-six nationals of South Ossetia and Russia are
kept in Georgia," Chigoyev said. "Some of them were kidnapped on the
territory of South Ossetia before August 2008 /when the Georgian Armed
Forces launched an amassed punitive operation against the republic and
Russia had to intervene to repel it - Itar-Tass/. There're languishing in
Georgian jails without any grounds for this."
"Others were detained for an allegedly illegal crossing of the border
and criminal cases were instituted against them," Chigoyev said.
He indicated that eight cases of trespassing of South Ossetia's border
by Georgian citizens had been registered over the past month. All the
trespassers were allowed to return home after their identities had been
established.
"We'll demand at the meeting of workgroups in Ergneti that all the
South Ossetian and Russian citizens kept in detention in Georgia be
released," Chigoyev said.
He admitted that the meetings on prevention of incidents have failed
to produce any convincing results so far and the participating workgroups
have not resolved even the elementary procedural issue of chairmanship at
these meetings.
Agreement on holding regular meetings for the prevention of incidents
was reached during the Geneva discussions of the situation in South
Caucasus in the wake of the August 2008 events. The discussions, in their
turn, became the result of accords made by Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as France held a term of
the EU's rotating presidency at the time of the armed operation to coerce
the Georgian government to peace.
Representatives of South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia, and the European
Union take part in the meetings.
.Russian, Indian Presidents to discuss cooperation in N-power, space.
MOSCOW, September 3 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
receives his Indian counterpart, Pratibha Patil, later Thursday.
Madame Patil arrived on a four-day visit in this country at his
invitation Wednesday.
Medvedev and Patil got acquainted with each other during the Russian
President's trip to India last year.
Patil said in an interview with Itar-Tass she was looking forward to
the talks with Russian leaders, as she believed they would give a still
greater impetus to the close friendship and special relationship between
the two countries.
A source in the Kremlin Administration said the itinerary of Patil's
visit envisions full-scale talks with the Russian leadership.
"The Russian and Indian Presidents will review a wide range of
bilateral issues, including cooperation in trade, science and technologies
and, more specifically, in the nuclear power industry and space research,"
he said.
"Since 2009 is the Year of India in Russia, special attention will be
paid to cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and in culture," the source
said.
"The agenda of the talks will also embrace the most pressing
international and regional problems," he said.
"Bilateral trade is growing quite successfully," the source said
adding that annual increases of the trade volume by over 30% have been
registered annually beginning with 2005.
"The mark of 7 billion U.S. dollars was exceeded in 2008," he said.
"In spite of the discouraging global tendencies, Russian-Indian trade
grew almost 18% from January through June 2008 versus the same period a
year ago," the source went on. "It deserved mentioning that machinery and
equipment makes up a sizable part of Russian exports to India, or 49%."
"To coordinate steps in trade and other aspects of economic
cooperation, Russia and India have set up a smoothly functioning mechanism
of the intergovernmental commission on trade, science, technology, and
culture," the source said.
The commission is co-chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Alexander Zhukov and Indian Minister for External Affairs Somanahalli
Mallaiah Krishna.
"National years of Russia in India and India in Russia are called upon
to assist the development of cooperation," the source said, recalling that
more than 150 important cultural, humanitarian and economic events were
held in India last year as part of the Year of Russia.
Many events scheduled in the framework of India's Year in this country
focus on economic and research aspects. Its itinerary started out March 31
and it will be officially closed in December during Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia.
Thursday, Pratibha Patil and Dmitry Medvedev are expected to attend a
gala concert of Indian performers on the new stage of the Bolshoi.
-0-kle
"At this moment, twenty-six nationals of South Ossetia and Russia are
kept in Georgia," Chigoyev said. "Some of them were kidnapped on the
territory of South Ossetia before August 2008 /when the Georgian Armed
Forces launched an amassed punitive operation against the republic and
Russia had to intervene to repel it - Itar-Tass/. There're languishing in
Georgian jails without any grounds for this."
"Others were detained for an allegedly illegal crossing of the border
and criminal cases were instituted against them," Chigoyev said.
He indicated that eight cases of trespassing of South Ossetia's border
by Georgian citizens had been registered over the past month. All the
trespassers were allowed to return home after their identities had been
established.
"We'll demand at the meeting of workgroups in Ergneti that all the
South Ossetian and Russian citizens kept in detention in Georgia be
released," Chigoyev said.
He admitted that the meetings on prevention of incidents have failed
to produce any convincing results so far and the participating workgroups
have not resolved even the elementary procedural issue of chairmanship at
these meetings.
Agreement on holding regular meetings for the prevention of incidents
was reached during the Geneva discussions of the situation in South
Caucasus in the wake of the August 2008 events. The discussions, in their
turn, became the result of accords made by Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as France held a term of
the EU's rotating presidency at the time of the armed operation to coerce
the Georgian government to peace.
Representatives of South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia, and the European
Union take part in the meetings.
.Russian, Indian Presidents to discuss cooperation in N-power, space.
MOSCOW, September 3 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
receives his Indian counterpart, Pratibha Patil, later Thursday.
Madame Patil arrived on a four-day visit in this country at his
invitation Wednesday.
Medvedev and Patil got acquainted with each other during the Russian
President's trip to India last year.
Patil said in an interview with Itar-Tass she was looking forward to
the talks with Russian leaders, as she believed they would give a still
greater impetus to the close friendship and special relationship between
the two countries.
A source in the Kremlin Administration said the itinerary of Patil's
visit envisions full-scale talks with the Russian leadership.
"The Russian and Indian Presidents will review a wide range of
bilateral issues, including cooperation in trade, science and technologies
and, more specifically, in the nuclear power industry and space research,"
he said.
"Since 2009 is the Year of India in Russia, special attention will be
paid to cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and in culture," the source
said.
"The agenda of the talks will also embrace the most pressing
international and regional problems," he said.
"Bilateral trade is growing quite successfully," the source said
adding that annual increases of the trade volume by over 30% have been
registered annually beginning with 2005.
"The mark of 7 billion U.S. dollars was exceeded in 2008," he said.
"In spite of the discouraging global tendencies, Russian-Indian trade
grew almost 18% from January through June 2008 versus the same period a
year ago," the source went on. "It deserved mentioning that machinery and
equipment makes up a sizable part of Russian exports to India, or 49%."
"To coordinate steps in trade and other aspects of economic
cooperation, Russia and India have set up a smoothly functioning mechanism
of the intergovernmental commission on trade, science, technology, and
culture," the source said.
The commission is co-chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Alexander Zhukov and Indian Minister for External Affairs Somanahalli
Mallaiah Krishna.
"National years of Russia in India and India in Russia are called upon
to assist the development of cooperation," the source said, recalling that
more than 150 important cultural, humanitarian and economic events were
held in India last year as part of the Year of Russia.
Many events scheduled in the framework of India's Year in this country
focus on economic and research aspects. Its itinerary started out March 31
and it will be officially closed in December during Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia.
Thursday, Pratibha Patil and Dmitry Medvedev are expected to attend a
gala concert of Indian performers on the new stage of the Bolshoi.
-0-kle
